Jim Ingraham: Indications of Tribe activity have to turn into results

The Indians rarely do anything substantial at the winter meetings, even in years when they are expected to do something substantial.

Like this year. This week.

Advertisement

Net result: Nothing.

Not to worry, though.

"The team that wins the winter doesn't always win the season," said Tribe manager Terry Francona.

That's good, because the Indians didn't even win the week.

The Tribe's Nashville cats did pluck Class AA first baseman Chris McGuiness out of the Rule 5 Draft, but historically most Rule 5 draftees add very little, if anything, to the big-league club the following year.

That's not to say drafting McGuiness didn't make sense. When you are trying to rebuild and you have virtually no position-player prospects at the upper levels of your minor-league system, it makes sense, if you have the chance to acquire one, to acquire one.

So the Indians did.

They now have an inventory of four in their first-base hopper: Russ Canzler, Matt LaPorta, Mike McDade and McGuiness -- all of them career minor-leaguers.

That's like having a four-skateboard garage.

The good news is it's still early in the offseason. The Indians still have plenty of time for a roster bulk-up.

There was some encouraging news to come out of Nashville: the Indians are apparently willing -- are you sitting down? -- to spend some money. Relatively big money.

That's right, the Indians.

Currently on their radar: Ohio natives Nick Swisher (four years, $48-$50 million interest, according to ESPN's Jim Bowden) and Kevin Youkilis (a two-year, $16-$18 million offer).

They also reportedly offered free-agent outfielder Shane Victorino a four-year, $44 million deal. That's one more year and $23 million more than they were unwilling to offer free-agent outfielder Josh Willingham a year ago.

Had they offered Willingham that they wouldn't have had to offer Victorino this, although it didn't matter anyway because Victorino chose instead to sign with Boston -- for one less year and $5 million less than the Indians were offering.

Yeesh.

We're not exactly in Billy Beane territory here.

Aside from reminding everyone how pound foolish the Indians were last year for not meeting Willingham's relatively modest asking price, the Victorino non-signing indicates the challenge the Indians are going to face this winter in upgrading their roster through free agency:

They will likely have to over-pay in order to get a free agent with other options to come to Cleveland. This means they have two choices going forward: 1. Pursue only free agents with no other options; or 2. Overpay.

"I'm not delusional. We have challenges," said Francona. "We have some things we've got to overcome."

That the Indians were willing to go as high as $44 million for Victorino, whose three-year, $39 million deal with the Red Sox was itself judged as a considerable overpay by some, indicates Tribe ownership is apparently now open to spending big money to aggressively try to lift the team into contention, rather than simply waiting and hoping to be blown there by the winds of fate.

Which is not to shortchange the winds of fate. But you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows, and the wind tends to blow better for the teams that are the best prepared.

"There are teams out there that have proven you can win without a (huge) payroll," Francona said. "Tampa Bay has done it consistently. They've also made tremendous decisions. Oakland did it by loading up on arms.

"Baltimore showed that if you put a pitching staff together, put a bullpen together, you can win. You can compete. It can get done."

The Indians won't have a huge payroll next year, but if they were willing to go to $44 million on Victorino, and they are in on Swisher and Youkilis, they presumably won't have a rock bottom payroll next year, as was expected. This is a good thing -- if it happens.

Because this isn't brain surgery. Spend more money, make better decisions, the team gets better. How fast? Who knows? There are a lot of other variables. But not spending money and making poor decisions is a one-way ticket to Palookaville.

The winter meetings are over, but the Indians are still on the clock. They seem to want to make some things happen. They seem willing to spend some money. So let's see. We're barely into December.

"Baltimore competed all year, from Day 1, but people didn't see that during the winter. It can happen," said Francona. "Everybody expects when the winter meetings are over -- that's your roster. That's not realistic. Who thought Oakland was going to win last year? Nobody."